MIDDLESEX TWP — Colin Stewart enjoyed the Fourth of July weekend because it meant watching baseball with family.

Colin and his dad, Tim, would go to Marburger Field in Mars and watch Mars I and II play an Eagle County Baseball League doubleheader.

“I remember doing that for the past four years and him telling us how good of a league it was,” said Colin, who is 19 and a student at Kent State University. “It didn’t seem like there was any other place we should be playing.”

With two teams already in the league and full rosters, the Stewarts decided to form a team of their own. They were granted entrance into the league and formed the Mars Sliders.

The third Mars team is one of two new teams in the eight-team league, along with Pine-Richland. Last season, the league had six teams and had an all-Mars final.

Mars I beat Mars II 3-2 and has won the last four Eagle County championships.

Eagle County President and Saxonburg manager Dan Cunningham said both bids were logical choices.

Some teams that inquired, including one from Latrobe and some from Armstrong County, were too far outside of the geographic area.

“We thought the fit is good,” Cunningham said. “We like to have teams that have home fields in Butler County. We want to keep those geographic boundaries in place.”

The Sliders, who are 1-3 on the season, play all of their home games at the Mars High School Field. Mars I and II both play at Marburger Field.

Tim Stewart, 48, saw the opportunity to coach his two sons again.

He coached Colin and Dylan, 21, in Colt and Palomino leagues growing up. Both of his sons played baseball and graduated from Mars High School.

Tim, who has played in several adult leagues in Allegheny County, was planning on joining his sons on the diamond before he was diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma, which is a form of blood cancer, earlier this year.

He plans on playing next season and will serve as manager this year.

“It’s fun,” Tim Stewart said about coaching his sons again. “It’s a little more relaxed at this age. I enjoy watching them play.”

Lack of spots on Mars I and II also spurred the creation of the Sliders.

Dylan Stewart, who plays club baseball at Slippery Rock University, played for Mars II last season.

He decided to move when his dad brought the idea up and brought some of his friends with him.

“We had a good group of guys,” Dylan said. “I have a lot of buddies that are about that age and they wanted to keep playing. And I said let’s get a team together and do some damage.”

Finding players wasn’t too difficult. The Sliders have 17 of them.

Colin Stewart gets a kick out of some of the faces he sees in the visiting dugout. Brian Zima, who plays for Mars I, taught Colin’s younger brother in fifth grade.

“Playing such a broad range of athletes from Mars or a neighboring county is cool,” Colin said. “You read in the paper about all these kids doing big things for schools, then you look in the lineup and see their name and can put a face to a name.”

Dylan is excited for when his dad gets cleared to play. That will allow them to start a new baseball tradition.

One where all three Stewarts are on the diamond together.

“I was excited,” Dylan said. “He still likes to play in 40 and over leagues and still hits home runs every once in a while. He can still play ball for someone his age.”